Letters to the Editor

We need your help

Dear Editor,

On June 22, 2007, a committee was established to address the deplorable conditions at the Rumney Marsh Burial Grounds.

One of the oldest, yet least known, the cemetery is located in Revere. Rumney Marsh Burial Grounds is where some of Revere’s first citizens are buried.  In 1748 the site was given to the town by a will left by Joshua Cheever, son of Thomas Cheever, who was our first minister and teacher. Some of the citizens buried there are: the wife of explorer Captain John Smith, Reverend Thomas Cheever and Deacon John Sale was buried in 1803. It was Deacon Sales’ farm (Beachmont) that played such an important role in the Battle of Chelsea Creek. Deane Winthrop, son of the first governor of Massachusetts, is also buried there and from the accounts of his funeral, it seemed that a most formal funeral befitting the death of a governor’s son took place. Lieutenant Thomas Pratt, who built Slade’s Spice Mill on the creek, has the Prattville section of Chelsea named in his honor. There are also many graves of Revolutionary War Heroes. Among these heroes is Samuel Sprague who led three companies of minutemen. The famous fighting parson, Phillip Payson lies along with Joseph Green as well as Samuel Pratt, Caleb Pratt, James and Andrew Tewksbury and many more. There are several Civil War soldiers buried there.

We honor each and every veteran at the burial grounds by placing American flags on their graves every Memorial Day. It is up to all of us to insure their final palace of rest is kept befitting a patriot and war hero. We cannot forget their contribution to our great country.

We are having a Bocce Tournament on Saturday, July 29 on Revere Beach at the State Police Barracks to help us restore this historical site to the glory and condition that is due all our veterans and loves ones. We hope you will make a contribution, as you have in the past, to make this happen. The event will be held at 8:30 AM. Anything you are able to provide will be very helpful. Please contact us at 978-807-0167 or our representative presenting this letter.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated contribution and assistance in honoring a part of Revere, Winthrop and Chelsea’s history.

Rumney Marsh Burying Ground

Restoration Committee

The Rossetti-Cowan Senior Center staff loves Revere Seniors”

Dear friends:

The Revere Office of Elder Affairs and the Rossetti-Cowan Senior Center entire staff are here for seniors. In other words, we are passionately dedicated to providing the very best, top-notch services to people who we value as treasured members of our society – our older Americans. The Revere community is fortunate to have such beautiful people who are now at the stage in their lives where they should be free of stress, anxiety, and the complexities that arise in everyday living. The staff and I feel entrusted and grateful to be able to ensure they have a safe, positive, fun, welcoming environment and experience at the Rossetti-Cowan Senior.

Each day when encountering and interacting with seniors, whether at the center or on the shuttle van, we want folks to know that we become very personally attached to them. We love to spend time with them. We value their tenacity, resiliency, and determination to live life to the fullest despite health or physical challenges. Each of us truly cares for these special individuals who we absolutely enjoy each and every day. Sometimes it is not easy to please everyone but rest assured our intentions are always and totally in their best interest. We believe most seniors realize this and appreciate our genuine dedication to them. At times, it also opens us up to criticism, sometimes by seniors themselves and sometimes by others who possess a personal agenda. That goes with the territory as they say. But I want seniors to know we constantly and consistently are looking out for them. We are here for them.

We are very protective of seniors and keep a careful watch to be certain that elder abuse of any kind does not take place. The National Center on Elder Abuse distinguishes between seven different types of elder abuse. These include physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, financial/material exploitation, neglect/abandonment, self-neglect, and physical abuse. This is a major nation-wide issue. We try our best to make sure it does not happen here at the Rossetti-Cowan senior Center. We work closely with the Massachusetts Office of Elder Affairs and Massachusetts Association of Councils on Aging and Senior Center Directors (MCOA). Our state agency access point is Mystic Valley Elder Services. They have been extremely helpful to us in many areas, in particular to this issue.

The support of Mayor Arrigo and his administration as well as our state delegation (Senator Boncore and Representatives DeLeo and Vincent), along with our city councilors and school committee is certainly appreciated by all of us on the staff. We are fortunate of our relationship with them, Again, it’s for seniors and their well-being. We have a Council of Elder Affairs consisting of seniors throughout the city that also provide assistance, feedback, and suggestions to improve the quality of lives for seniors. We are thankful for them as well!

The Rossetti-Cowan Senior Center’s meals program, shuttle van service, programs, activities, and services are vital to servicing our seniors. Over the last four years, the culture and perception of the center has changed for the better. The staff personnel have evolved into a solid team with common goals, solidified with sound strategy – all geared towards keeping our seniors happy and healthy with opportunities for them to live better and allow them to lead productive lives. I would like to emphasize to seniors and family, friends, and neighbors of seniors that we invite them to stop by and learn about Revere’s special place for seniors that is filled with incredible programs, services, activities, meals, and low-cost shuttle van transportation. Come by and say hello to old friends, meet new friends, meet the staff and Council on Elder Affairs of the Rossetti-Cowan Senior Center.

We hope you can make it and are certain that you will be greeted warmly and have a pleasant experience.

For more information about the center contact: Revere Office of Elder Affairs/ Rossetti-Cowan Senior Center, 25 Winthrop Ave., Revere, MA 02151 at (781) 286-8156 or visit the Office of Elder Affairs department page (control & click to follow the link):  http://www.revere.org/departments/elder-affairs

Stephen W. Fielding

Director, Revere Office Elder Affairs,

 

Mercury and Children

Dear Editor;  

If you drive down William. McClellan highway, you will see the billboards of Morgan and Morgan Attorneys at Law. The photo is of Robert (Bobby ) Kennedy Jr. He is the son of former United Sates Senator and Atty General, Senator. Robert  Kennedy Sr.

Robert Kennedy Jr. also suffers from a voice disorder, called spasmodic dysphonia. This effects Mr. Kennedy’s voice box but it is not life threatening.

I was able to listen to a speech he made, at a fundraiser (on line) in behalf of the World Mercury Project.

Mr. Kennedy was joined with Donnie Wallberg, Jenny McCarthy, and Robert DeNiro  to fight the “orthodoxy” ,that mercury in vaccination’s ( thimerosal ) is not safe for tots, fetuses, newborns, and children.

Thimerosal is a mercury – containing compound, that preserves the shelf life of vaccines and also keeps the vaccine free from contamination.

In 1999 the U.S. Public Health Service recommended to remove thimerosal from vaccines and to reduce the mercury exposure among infants as much as possible.

Despite these recommendations to remove all thimerosal from vaccines, today, infants as young as six months old are still receiving mercury in the form of thimerosal, if they receive the multi-dose vial flu shots, at levels higher than EPA safe limits . Although, never tested for safety in pregnant women, these same mercury – preserved flu shots are also given during all trimesters ,of pregnancy.

The break down that Robert Kennedy gave, is that the average child receives, 26 vaccines in the first year of life.

When we were growing up in the 1950’s and 60’s there were 3 childhood vaccines, typically given to a child , who were entering school.

Like most students in the 50’s and 60’s ,I received my three vaccines at my elementary  school.

Then in the 1980’s, 10 vaccines were recommended by the age of six years old,  (24 doses, 7 injections, 4 oral doses for polio).

In 2010, the CDC vax  (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) scheduled, 68 doses with more than half given by the time a child was only a year and a half year old.

In 2016 , the schedule has increased to 74 doses by age 17 with 53 injections and three oral doses of rotavirus.

During Robert Kennedy’s  speech he rattled off statistics of diseases and ailments that children are suffering, in America . The number 43, as in 43% of children in 2017 suffer some form of damage — autism, tics, peanut allergies, obesity, non-verbal, learning disabilities and array of other issues that just didn’t exist in our generation growing up in the 1960s and 1970s.

Finally, Robert Kennedy challenged CDC (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) to live up to its name, to “control” the health issues that are savaging the children of America today. He wants the other organizations to investigate .He asks ,why all of these previously non-existent ailments and disorders are occurring?

He wants to know why we can not “control” the outbreak and reduce that negative societal trend line.

There are, at last count, 130 FDA-approved pharmaceutical products which contain mercury. The typical amount of mercury in these products is 50,000 ppb. To put this in perspective, the EPA requires liquid waste which exceeds 200 ppb of mercury to be sent to a special hazardous waste landfill and according to the EPA, drinking water cannot exceed  2 ppb of mercury.

So, technically, if these products are not used, they must be disposed of as hazardous waste.

Robert Kennedy also recommended, to stop eating many types of fish during pregnancy and breastfeeding. He stated that canned light tuna and other low-mercury fish, such as salmon, shrimp, catfish, pollock, and fish sticks have more mercury than light tuna fish.

He made a simple concussion, if physicians recommend expectant mothers to stop different types of seafood ,why put mercury in our vaccines?

I am not stating ,that vaccines aren’t good but maybe there are a group of individuals, or a group of children, that shouldn’t have a particular vaccine, or shouldn’t have vaccine on the same schedule. I believe we need to be particular when we receive a vaccines, and ask for the non-thimerosal vaccine. Maybe they should be spread out vaccines a little longer.

I do believe, that some of the public are losing faith in vaccines and their refusal to get needed vaccines.

I remember the polio epidemic. I remember the measles epidemic. I understand and support cervical cancer vaccines in our schools.

But it’s the job of the public health community, and of physicians is to say ” yes,

we can make it better” and if we choose the non – thimerosal vaccine , this is the first step.

Hal Ford Abrams